The invention disclosed broadly relates to the field of electronic messaging and more particularly relates to the field of managing urgency indicators for electronic messaging.
The emergence of electronic messaging (email, voicemail, text messaging, instant messages and fax) has changed the face of modern communication. Today, millions of people every day use electronic messages to communicate instantaneously across the world and over international and cultural boundaries. It is estimated that over two thirds of the population of the United States utilizes electronic messaging.
One of the features of electronic messaging is an urgency or importance indicator. When an electronic message, such as an email, is created, the sender of the message can define an urgency or importance indicator that signifies the level of urgency or the level of importance associated with a message. The default indicator for a message is usually an indicator that signifies “regular importance” or “no urgency.” Typically, the sender of a message must actively make a selection that increases the urgency or importance of the message.
A message designated as “urgent” or “highly important” is reserved for a message having subject matter that is truly important or urgent, such as matters involving substantial amounts of money, time criticality or matters of life or death. Some users of electronic messaging, however, are unscrupulous in their use of the urgency or importance indicator and often mark messages as “urgent” or “highly important” when it is inappropriate. This can be disconcerting to the receiver of the electronic message who may rush to open and read a message that is clearly not urgent or important.